A bird of wetland and marsh, the Great White Egret is one of a small group of Continental heron species that have expanded their breeding ranges northwards and joined our avifauna.
Formerly a very rare bird in Britain & Ireland, the Great White Egret can now be seen throughout the year, often in association with other herons, when its long, sinuous neck, long legs and large size can be fully appreciated as it hunts its aquatic food.
Wetland Bird Survey data show the meteoric rise in Great White Egret numbers since it began colonising in around 2010. It is also monitored by the BTO Heronries Census and BirdTrack.
Select a topic for more facts and statistics about the Great White Egret
25 years ago the sighting of any White Heron in the UK would have been greeted with excitement. While Little Egret is now relatively common, it can sometimes be confused at distance with a much rarer visitor - Great White Egret. This video also helps separate GW Egret from 'white' or leucistic Grey Herons.
Listen to example recordings of the main vocalisations of Great White Egret, provided by xeno-canto contributors.
Flight call
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The recent trend for Great White Egret suggests it has now successfully colonised the UK, with the numbers of breeding pairs and sites both increasing rapidly since the species first bred in 2012 (Anderson et al. 2013). A total of 16–24 pairs bred in 2019 (Eaton et al. 2021) and breeding numbers are expected to increase further in the coming years.
Like the other two egret species, Great White Egrets are now recorded widely in Britain throughout the year. During the Atlas breeding period 134 10-km squares in Britain and 12 in Ireland were recorded as occupied by non-breeding birds. Since then, breeding has been confirmed at a number of locations.
Britain and Ireland Breeding Distribution 2008-2011. More from the Atlas Mapstore.
Britain and Ireland Winter Distribution 2008-2011. More from the Atlas Mapstore.
Great White Egrets are more likely to be seen in winter than at other times of year, but can now be seen year-round at many southern locations.
Weekly occurrence patterns (shaded cells) and reporting rates (vertical bars) based on BirdTrack data. Reporting rates give the likelihood of encountering the species each week.
Movement
Information about movement and migration based on online bird portals (e.g. BirdTrack), Ringing schemes and tracking studies.
An overview of year-round movements for the whole of Europe can be seen on the EuroBirdPortal viewer.
Foreign locations of birds ringed or recovered in Britain & Ireland
Encountered in:
Winter (Nov-Feb); Spring (Mar-Apr); Summer (May-Jul); Autumn (Aug-Oct)
Biology
Lifecycle and body size information about Great White Egret, including statistics on nesting, eggs and lifespan based on BTO ringing and nest recording data.
Like other egret species, the expansion of Great White Egret into the UK has followed increases on the continent and an expansion north and west across Europe. The key drivers behind this expansion are unclear, but contributing factors may include increases and improvements to habitat, reduced persecution and improved legal protection and climate change (?awicki 2014).
Links to more studies from ConservationEvidence.com
GRWEG 
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